Dr. Ramona Coelho, a member of Ontario’s MAiD (i.e. euthanasia) death review committee, writes: “Canada’s legal safeguards are failing. Federal guidelines are being ignored. The public deserves to know: Is Canada building a system that truly protects all Canadians – or one that expedites death for the vulnerable?”
The question highlights the problem. While euthanasia (euphemistically known as medical assistance in dying, or MAiD) already expedites death for the vulnerable, Parliament is considering expanding it to persons with mental illness as their sole underlying medical condition.
Legislative Background
Canada legalized euthanasia in 2016 for those whose natural death is ‘reasonably foreseeable’. In 2021, the federal government expanded euthanasia to people who live with a chronic illness or disability but are not dying. That legislation was set to expand euthanasia to people with mental illness as their only condition. However, due to pressure from medical experts, provincial governments, and the public, the government delayed the mental illness expansion twice. It is now scheduled to take effect on March 17, 2027. Now, just a year and a half away from the scheduled 2027 date, Parliament will again be considering the issue this fall. In June, just prior to the summer break, Member of Parliament Tamara Jansen introduced private members’ bill C-218 which, if passed, would repeal the scheduled expansion of euthanasia to people with mental illness.
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide in Canada
Euthanasia, of course, expedites death for the vulnerable, whether they suffer from mental illness, disability, a serious illness, or some combination thereof. In each case, our society fails to care for those who are suffering and to help them live well despite their condition. In 2023, the latest year for which Health Canada has released data, 15,343 Canadians died at the hands of their doctors and nurses. Over 600 of these were not nearing natural death, although the real number could be much higher because of how flexibly doctors interpret the ‘reasonably foreseeable’ natural death criterion. Euthanasia is now the fifth most common cause of death in Canada, causing 4.7 percent of all deaths in 2023. Canada has the fastest growing rate of euthanasia in the world. Although patients may be eligible for euthanasia due to a particular illness or disability, they can also list other reasons for choosing euthanasia. In 2023, 21.1 percent of those nearing natural death cited loneliness as a reason for their request, and 45.1 percent noted that they felt like a burden on family, friends, or caregivers. For those not nearing natural death, 47.1 percent cited isolation or loneliness, while 49.2 percent felt like a burden on those around them. These are not medical conditions, but social ones.
Euthanasia for Mental Illness
But while euthanasia in any circumstance is troubling on both a moral and practical level, euthanasia for mental illness alone is unique in two ways. First, there is no consensus regarding whether mental illness can ever be considered irremediable. People who struggle with mental illness need hope that they can improve or recover in the long term, but offering euthanasia may cause them to give up hope.
As Member of Parliament Andrew Lawton notes in his ‘I Got Better’ campaign, “It’s possible for people to heal and to flourish, but not if we give up on them.” Rather than supporting one’s wish to die, we must offer them care, support, and compassion. But Lawton also notes that “If the law on the books were there 15 years ago, I’d probably be dead right now.”
Expanding euthanasia to people with mental illness flies in the face of suicide prevention efforts. For decades, Canada has emphasized the importance of suicide prevention and providing the necessary care and supports. But Canada simultaneously offers euthanasia – physician-assisted-suicide – as a solution for the kind of suffering that makes people suicidal.
Looking Ahead
As Canada considers continued expansion to euthanasia, Canadians can promote suicide prevention and life-affirming care. Professor Richard Weikart, in his book Unnatural Death writes, “Offering people an ‘easy way’ to end their lives does not let them ‘die with dignity.’ Superficially it may seem compassionate to some. However, in reality, it tells them they are no longer worth helping, that they are nothing but the sum of their aches and pains, their fears and their despair.”
Parliament will be debating Bill C-218 this fall, and Members of Parliament need to hear from Canadians about the importance of caring for those who are suffering rather than ending their lives. ARPA Canada’s Care Not Kill campaign seeks to spread the message of hope, noting that euthanasia should never be a solution to mental illness. Send an email to your MP or use other tools on that site to take action prior to the upcoming debate and vote.
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